Neve Gerard, a Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation full-time competitive Nordic skier and Bend High senior, has much to celebrate after spending 10 days in Gangwon, South Korea at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games.
Drawing top athletes from all over the world, the Youth Olympic Games was Gerard’s second experience representing her country while competing on the world stage, following an impressive showing at last season’s Nordic Nations Championships in Finland. After a first place result in the Junior Women’s Freestyle 10k at US Nationals this past January, and declining a spot on the 2024 World Junior Championship Team in favor of Youth Olympics, Gerard and her coaching team felt confident she was in good shape for this year’s Youth Olympic Games.
Gerard qualified to represent Team USA more than a year in advance of the Youth Olympic Games at US Nationals in January of 2023, in Houghton MI. “Asking any athlete to target a single week of events, from such a long way out, is a lot of pressure to put on any athlete, let alone a 17 years old who is tackling school, college applications, and life as a teenager,” explains Reitler Hodgert, Nordic Director at Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF). “Neve has handled that pressure with a focus and athletic professionalism far beyond her years of skiing.”
Gerard, who started training with MBSEF as a freshmen in highschool, made up her mind early on in her high school racing career that she wanted to pursue a dream of racing professionally as a Nordic skier. Gerard’s rise as a Nordic skier has impressed many due to the fact that the large majority of her competition, both in the US and abroad, have been training exclusively in the sport for many years longer than her. “I think MBSEF’s training approach has allowed me to grow a lot as an athlete in a short amount of time, while keeping it sustainable for the future,” said Gerard.
While competing in Gangwon and in addition to her 6th place finish in the Women’s 7.5K Classic, Gerard took 17th place in the Freestyle Sprint and, along with her team, 5th in the Mixed 4x5k Team Relay where Gerard posted the 3rd fastest leg of the day.
In the fall of 2024 Gerard will continue her racing career as part of the University of Utah’s Nordic Ski Team. University of Utah has dominated collegiate skiing in the US, winning NCAA championships every year it has been held since 2019. Gerard, who will be joined at Utah by fellow MBSEF alumni, Zachary Jayne, notes, “I am super excited to ski with Utah next year because of the level and the location.” The strength of Utah’s ski team will provide a level of training and competition Gerard requires at this stage in her career. “It is the natural next step in her progression towards competing as a Nordic skier at the highest level,” said Hodgert, “and we are excited to continue cheering and supporting Neve, as much as we can, from Bend.”
